Provisioning of IP (Internet Protocol) telephony devices, e.g., desktop telephones for an enterprise, is time-consuming and resource intensive. The same applies to other types of configurable electronics. The present approach, utilized to provision IP telephony devices, is to deploy the phones in a generic, unconfigured, untested condition to the desktops or cubicles of the users of the phones. Once at these locations, a physical inventory is performed, matching a physical identifier (e.g., a barcode, a serial number, or other identification plate or sticker) on the phone to the new end-user. Each phone is then configured by on-site personnel, at the new location. Another approach is to un-package each IP telephony device, install the IP telephony device in a workbench type of environment, initiate a configuration, test the configuration against the IP telephony device, repackage the IP telephony device, ship the IP telephony device to its destination, then match the IP telephony device to the deployed location.